An extremely rare example of the
prized 1907 Ultra High Relief double eagle sold for $1,057,500
to lead the results of our US
Coins Signature Auction, held in Philadelphia August 2-5. More
than $21 million in rare coins sold in August 3rd's Platinum Night.
Overall, this auction brought its happy consignors over $27.5
million, with an additional $1 million in sales from our currency
auction held on August 3. All prices include 17.5% Buyer's Premium.

The Ultra High Relief double eagle in this auction is
distinctive because of its 1906 Style edge lettering, in a Sans
Serif Font with stars between each of the letters of E PLURIBUS
UNUM. This lettering style dates this coin as one of the first
three Ultra High Reliefs struck. This piece was the first coin
discovered with this lettering style, in 1992, and today just two
such coins are known. The coin shows evidence of handling, as
implied by its Proof-58 grade. If it was used as a pocket piece by
some early recipient, we can only wonder who that person was.

Almost as rare, with only four examples known, is the 1802
Novodel proof dollar that realized $851,875. The term "novodel"
describes a coin struck long after the date it bears, but which is
not a restrike. The dies for this coin were most likely prepared in
the 1870s, when the coin is believed to have been struck. We
believe that this piece is the finest known of the four by the
tiniest of margins.

The 1921 Saint-Gaudens double eagle is an absolute rarity that
sells for mid- to high-five figure prices in any grade. It is also
the premier condition rarity in the series, with only four examples
known that grade MS65 or higher. One such
Gem sold for $587,500 in this auction, demonstrating the
extreme interest these large gold coins hold for collectors.

When you started collecting, hopefully when you were young, who
helped you collect, and with your collection experiences? As a
young numismatist, this is especially important, because it helps
you expand your collecting expertise, and it can also help you
learn. A lot of collectors have been started because of a neat
coin-related gift, or a nice bit of numismatic knowledge. Whatever
the reason, this can jumpstart both collectors and collections.

When I started collecting, at age 8, I was surrounded both with
people willing to teach me, and people willing to help me finish my
collection. These people have helped me both by giving me a coin,
and giving me large amounts of help.

My first encounter with a gifting person was when I met my fifth
grade teacher, Mr. Z. I was going to an open house for my school,
when he approached me asking whether or not I collected. Of course
I said yes, and he produced from his pocket a handful of coins. I
don't remember the specific dates, but I do remember that among
them was a dateless Standing Liberty Quarter Dollar, a few buffalo
nickels from the late 1930's, and a few common date Indian head
cents. I was especially interested in these buffalo nickels, as
they were new to me. I remember that they had glue on them. This
encounter was especially sweet as Mr. Z went on to become one of my
favorite teachers ever.

Another encounter with a great gifter came when I learned that
my Great Grandfather had a coin collection. He was long deceased,
and I didn't know much about him, but it made me proud that he too
was a numismatist. I learned that his collection resided with my
great-uncle. I immediately wrote to him asking to view some of his
coins. He replied a few days later on the phone telling me he would
bring them to our next family reunion. I came home the next time
with a big smile and a box full of coins. He had multiple modern
sets, and coin dating back to the later 1800's. The most valuable
coin is the 1872 Indian head cent. I am proud to say I still have
it to this day.

Another encounter came in the form of multiple opportunities
with nice and loving neighbors, older folks, who were great friends
of my dad. The older man used to be a coin collector from the 60's
to the 70's, and then dropped out for lack of interest. I remember
him bring out a large bag of wheat cents, and poured them out all
over the table because he had heard of, in the newspaper, a 1943
copper cent that sold for a large sum of money, so he was looking
for one. At this time, I wasn't a collector, but this memory struck
me as interesting, and it made me want to be a numismatist. We
never found a copper 1943 though. When I started collecting coins,
I had been pestering him to show me his coin collection. Finally, a
few months ago, he showed me, and let me buy what I wanted at the
current Greysheet prices. Then we took the rest to a nearby coin
dealer, where we sold most of his silver scrap, along with a 1928
$20 Gold Certificate. I later became good friends with the coin
dealer, even though I am still a YN.

I have one last person in mind, and this person is a long time
collector from New York — I will call him Green since that's what
he goes by on the coin forums. I was browsing a forum, and Green
and I were good friends, and he messages me one day saying he will
send me some "Stuff" and to send him my address. A week or two
later, a huge package came, containing a bunch of old ANA
magazines, a bunch of old and new coins, and books. The former
prompted me to join the ANA.

These are just some of the many people who have helped me expand
my collection, by giving me opportunities and sometimes coins.
These are the people who bring new people to the hobby, and are the
backbone of it. I am grateful for all of them.

Bob's comments: Are there any collectors who started without
help and guidance? Having spoken to thousands of numismatists over
many decades, I only encountered two — one was a CPA who invested
in coins, and the other was a most disagreeable dentist! My love
affair with coins was inspired by my brother-in-law (well, he was
my brother-out-law then, but I digress...). For the rest of us,
numismatics is as much about friendships and sharing as it is about
the coins and notes. Taylor has learned a valuable lesson about
that, and my hope for him — and the wider world of collectors — is
that they pass along these joys to a new generation.

We have recently made a number of changes to our website to
increase security. These changes largely involve passwords and when
and how you enter them.

All passwords are now encrypted. This means that nobody at
Heritage has access to them.

All passwords, including existing ones, are now
case-sensitive. This may mean that a password you have using
for a while may suddenly no longer work, especially if it's a
password that you did not enter.

If you forget your password and click on the "Forgot Password"
link, we will now take you to a page where you can reset your
password, rather than requesting your password to be sent to your
email address.

When you get to this page, enter your email address, and we will
send you an email with a link to enter a new password of your
choice.

If you know your password, you can still change it through
MyProfile, as always.

All new passwords at HA.com,
whether entered through MyProfile, the
password reset page, or by signing up as a new member, must be at
least eight characters long and include at least three of the
following: Lower case letters (a-z), Upper case letters (A-Z),
numbers (0-9), or special characters.

HA.com no longer asks you for your username and password on the
same page on which you place your bids. If you are bidding from an
item page, by default you will be taken to a new page that will ask
for your username and password, regardless of whether you're
already logged in. To get around this, check "Remember my password
for bidding" as you sign in.

Search pages no longer display bid boxes unless you are signed
in; instead they will ask you to sign in to bid. Once signed in,
you will be able to place bids by simply clicking the "Submit Batch
Bids" button.

MyBids, MyTrackedLots, and MyWantlistMatches also no longer ask
for your sign-in information to place bids. Because you must be
signed in to reach these pages, you need only click the "Submit
Batch Bids" button.

If you try to track a lot while not signed in, whether on the
search page or an individual item page, you will be taken to a
sign-in page. Once you've signed in, your lot will be tracked.

When you win any lot worth with a hammer price of $1,000 or more
(or $2,500 for Art and Natural History lots), you will receive a
coupon that entitles you (or your heirs) to re-consign that lot to
Heritage at a reduced seller's commission. Selling through Heritage
is a convenient and hassle free way to maximize your return
(find out
why). Maybe you'll need to make room in your collection for
something better, perhaps your collecting tastes will change, or
maybe it will be your heirs that benefit; but be sure to save the
coupon, which could be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Coins: 0% Seller's Commission for all items $1K or
more.

Comics: 50% of the usual Seller's Commission for all
items between $1K & $10K, and 0% for items $10K and over.

All Other Categories: 50% of the usual Seller's
Commission for everything else over $1K ($2,500 for Art &
Natural History).

With the 2012 Summer Olympic Games underway, we invite you to
create a board on Pinterest expressing your favorite athletes,
events and Olympic-themed material for a chance to win! Simply
follow the three steps below for a chance to win $50 cash from
Heritage Auctions.

As the fastest growing American-based auction house, financially
rock-solid Heritage Auctions continues to grow and seek the best
talent in the industry. If you are a specialist or have strong
general collectibles knowledge, we want to hear from you. These
specialists will, in some cases, head new departments and in others
will enhance existing department expertise. We have positions open
at our headquarters in Dallas as well as at our new
state-of-the-art galleries in prime locations in both Midtown
Manhattan and Beverly Hills.

Heritage is seeking to hire the world's best specialists in
the following categories:

20th Century Design Specialist: Beverly Hills, New
York

American Art Specialist: New York

Asian Art Specialist: Beverly Hills

European Art Specialist: New York

European Comic Art Specialist: Dallas, Paris

Fine Jewelry Specialist: New York

Firearms Specialist: Dallas

Modern & Contemporary Art Specialist: Beverly Hills
and New York

Rare & Collectibles Wine Specialist: New York

Timepiece Specialist: Beverly Hills, New York

Trust & Estates Specialist: New York

World Coins Director: Hong Kong

World Paper Money Expert: Dallas/Remote

If you are interested and feel you have the qualifications we
seek, please email your resume and salary history to Experts@HA.com.

We are also seeking to fill the following corporate
positions:

Cataloger — Currency: Dallas/Remote

Cataloger — Fine art: Dallas

Cataloger — U.S. Coins: Contract, Remote

Client Services Representative: Dallas

Consignment Director — Currency: Dallas

Desktop Support: Dallas

Desktop Support Supervisor: Dallas

Digital Publishing Expert: Dallas

Graphic Designer: Dallas, Part-Time

Interns: Dallas

Inventory Control Clerk: Dallas, TX

Marketing Account Executive: Dallas, TX

Operations Assistant - Coins: Dallas

Operations Assistant - Comics: Dallas

Operations Assistant - Vintage Guitars: Dallas

Operations Assistant - World Coins: Dallas

Returns Clerk: Dallas

Shipping Associate: Dallas

Web Developer: Dallas

If you are interested in applying for one of these Corporate
positions, please apply here.

"Elvis remains one of the most popular and durable figures in
American Pop Culture," said Margaret Barrett, Director of
Entertainment & Music Memorabilia at Heritage Auctions. "This
auction, our second event totally dedicated to Elvis, is a
celebration of his amazing life and legacy. From autographs and
signed documents, rare concert posters and photos, personally owned
jewelry and clothing, recordings and a variety of memorabilia, fans
of Elvis will all have an opportunity to bid on their favorite
pieces."

Elvis collectors and aficionados alike will have a chance to
preview the 300+ Elvis artifacts on display at the famous Peabody
Hotel on Sunday (3:00 PM - 9:00 PM), Monday (9:00 AM - 8:00 PM) and
Tuesday (9 a.m. to 12 noon), Aug. 12-14, before the auction.

Early Elvis promotional material, in the form of concert posters
and programs, has already been creating significant buzz amongst
collectors with the top of this grouping coming in the form of the
aforementioned
Elvis Presley 1954 Eagles Nest original hand-painted concert
poster, Memphis TN (estimate: $30,000+), rendered on a black
poster board and hand-lettered in red and white gouache paint. It
was made for Elvis' Dec. 10, 1954 gig at the Eagles Nest, the
nightclub located on Highway 78, outside of Memphis (though it was
likely painted by a local artist). Elvis had been performing at
this club since August of that year, with much success.

An
Elvis Presley concert poster from Feb. 6, 1955 (estimate:
$7,000+), is one of the most important and intriguing pieces of
Elvis memorabilia to ever come to the auction block. Elvis had just
released his third Sun single, "You're A Heartbreaker"/"Milkcow
Blues Boogie" and was causing a stir regionally, landing on the
bill of this big Country concert.

"This is one of only a handful of pieces to ever surface from
this concert and is one of the earliest known Elvis concert posters
of all," said Jim Steele, Consignment Director at Heritage, "but
it's not either of the performances Elvis gave that day that makes
this a significant piece of Rock and Roll history. It's what
happened between the two shows that would change Elvis' life and
the music world forever: it was on this night, between these two
shows, that Elvis was introduced to Colonel Tom Parker who would
become the key figure in Elvis' management team."

"Elvis was just one of more than a dozen acts on the bill on
Sept. 3, 1955," said Steele. "Elvis, not yet 21, took the stage
during three slots. At the time it was a highlight of Elvis' young
career – as it turned out, it was a historic event for the
venerable Big D Jamboree, which would become a nationally broadcast
radio program the following year."

Presley's
stage worn gold coin and diamond ring (estimate: $35,000+), an
1853 two and a half dollar gold coin surrounded by tiny diamonds,
can be seen on Elvis' finger in the 1970 documentary film,
Elvis: That's the Way it Is andis complemented in the event
by several other pieces of Elvis jewelry, including:

Elvis' personally owned and worn gold and citrine ring
(estimate: $8,000+), given to his girlfriend, Linda Thompson, in
the 1970s and kept by her until the mid-1980s;
Elvis' Rubellite Ring, 1970s (estimate: $8,000+), also given to
Thompson;
Elvis' Turquoise and Silver Bracelet (estimate: $6,000+),
consisting of four large pieces of turquoise mounted on a sterling
silver bracelet and worn by him on several occasions before giving
it to Dennis Roberts, the optician who designed many of the King's
distinctive eyeglasses and
Elvis' Tiger Eye Ring (estimate: $5,000+), owned and worn by
Presley, and given to Claude Thompson, a choreographer who had
worked on Elvis' 1968 Comeback television special.

"We have many choice offerings of Elvis' jewelry," said Garry
Shrum, Consignment Director at Heritage, "always among the most
evocative and popular pieces of Elvis related memorabilia. The King
loved jewelry almost as much as he loved giving it away to his
friends, girlfriends and fans."

ABOUT DALLAS CASA
On an average day in Dallas County, nearly 2,000 children who have
been removed from their homes are waiting for the courts to decide
where they may safely live.

Dallas CASA is a non-profit organization of community volunteers
who are appointed by juvenile court judges to serve as voices for
these children in court. Our Court Appointed Special Advocates
complete 30 hours of specialized training and are overseen by staff
supervisors.

While lawyers resolve the legal issues, CASA volunteers focus on
the needs of the children. Each volunteer works directly with a
child and the agencies involved in that child's case. Because they
are assigned to only one case at a time, CASA volunteers are able
to dedicate more time to understanding each child's circumstances.
Volunteers get to know everyone involved in a child's life and make
informed recommendations to the court about where their CASA child
can live safely and permanently. CASA volunteers become the eyes
and the ears of the court. As a result, judges are able to make the
best decisions for each child.

Dallas CASA exists so that abused and neglected children in
protective care have the best chance to become successful adults.
With the help of caring advocates, the cycle of abuse and neglect
can be broken. More than 550 volunteers serve more than 1,300
abused children annually in Dallas County. Sadly, only two out of
five abused children in Dallas have CASA volunteers to help them
find safe homes. Because every child has the right to be safe, our
goal is for every abused child to have a CASA volunteer to advocate
for their best interests and help them find loving, permanent homes
where they can thrive. www.dallascasa.org

About Parade of Playhouses Presented by the ORIX
Foundation
Parade of Playhouses, at NorthPark Center, raises funds so that
Dallas CASA can provide volunteer advocates to help abused and
neglected children realize their dreams of finding safe, permanent
homes.. Each year, one very special playhouse is selected for
auction to raise additional funds to support Dallas CASA. Proceeds
from the auction are used to help train and supervise volunteers
who advocate for children who have been removed from their homes
because of abuse or neglect. www.dallascasa.org

The Maritime Lighthouse will delight any future sailor. The
house comes equipped with a signal light to alert sea-faring
vessels of its presence. A ship's ladder leads up to the second
level where your little lighthouse keeper can ring the signal bell.
Down on the first level, the indoor play area is perfect for
encouraging a child's imagination to set sail on the open sea.
Constructed of high quality lumber, siding and poly-carbonate
sheeting, this playhouse will make the perfect addition to a
kid-friendly backyard.

Bid on the Maritime
Lighthouse Playhouse! We hope you will bid high and bid often
to win your dream playhouse to benefit abused children represented
by Dallas CASA.